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With this solicitation, NIJ seeks applications for funding of multidisciplinary research projects addressing three topics: 1) The impact of fatigue and stress on officer performance. 2) Enhancing strategies for officer interaction with mentally ill individuals. 3) Advancing Resiliency for the Forensic Workforce- Understanding the Impact and Management of Stress, Burnout, and Vicarious Trauma. This solicitation supports the U.S. Department of Justice’s priority of protecting officers and other public safety personnel. This solicitation also supports the following five objectives of the NIJ Safety, Health, and Wellness Strategic Research Plan 2016-2021 (August 2016): 1) Objective I.2: Support development, and promote strategies, policies, practices, and technologies that enhance the safety of criminal justice personnel. 2) Objective I.4: Develop policies, strategies, and technologies to promote safety in criminal justice interactions with the public. 3) Objective II.1: Promote research to improve the physical and mental health of individuals working in the criminal justice system. 4) Objective II.2: Study both trauma and suicide among criminal justice employees. 5) Objective II.4: Promote science-based tools and strategies to monitor physical and mental health.

To further the Administration’s commitment to locally-driven public safety solutions and to being responsive to critical emerging issues, BJA is seeking applications for Supporting Innovation: Field-Initiated Programs to Improve Officer and Public Safety. BJA has created this program to launch a robust and creative grant funding stream for the field. Supporting Innovation invites applicants to develop and test solutions that will improve officer and public safety and save lives. Lessons learned from these projects can serve as models for the nation’s criminal justice system regarding reducing violent crime, including violent crime related to tribes and tribal members, and addressing the nation’s opioid epidemic.

Healthy, vibrant communities are places that provide the opportunities, resources, and an environment that children and adults need to maximize their life outcomes, including high-quality schools and cradle-to-career educational programs; high-quality and affordable housing; thriving commercial establishments; access to quality health care and health services; art and cultural amenities; parks and other recreational spaces; and the safety to take advantage of these opportunities. Unfortunately, millions of Americans live in distressed communities2 where a combination of crime, poverty, unemployment, poor health, struggling schools, inadequate housing, and disinvestment keep many residents from reaching their full potential. Research suggests that crime clustered in small areas, or crime "hot spots," accounts for a disproportionate amount of crime and disorder in many communities. The complexity of these issues has led to the emergence of comprehensive place-based and community-oriented initiatives that involve service providers from multiple sectors, as well as community representatives from all types of organizations, to work together to reduce and prevent crime and to revitalize communities.In many ways, community safety and crime prevention are prerequisites to the transformation of distressed communities, including the revitalization of civic engagement. Addressing community safety is the role of criminal justice agencies, the community, and its partners as a whole. To improve and revitalize communities, all relevant stakeholders should be included: law enforcement and criminal justice, education, housing, health and human services, community and faith-based non-profits, local volunteers, residents, and businesses.Given the significant needs and limited resources of some of these communities, local and tribal leaders need tools and information about crime trends in their jurisdiction and assistance in assessing, planning, and implementing the most effective

NIJ seeks proposals to conduct research on policing to improve policing practices and public safety at the State, local, and tribal levels. In 2015, a task force was created by President Barack Obama to examine the current state of policing in the United States. In response to a number of high profile events across the nation involving the police, the panel provided recommendations on promising policing practices that police could adopt as effective crime fighting strategies that would also strengthen trust and confidence in the police among community residents that they serve. The panel identified a number of reforms or Âœpillars that were viewed as vital to improving current police practices. In response to the recommendations and action items proposed by the task force, NIJ is interested in research in the following topical areas: 1. Research and Evaluation of Strategies to Build and Strengthen Police-Community Relationships 2. Research and Evaluation of Police Training 3. Research and Evaluation on Officer Wellness and Safety 4. Research and Evaluation on Police Technology 5. Research on Crime Scene Investigations: Triaging Evidence

NIJ seeks proposals to conduct research on policing to improve policing practices and public safety at the State, local, and tribal levels. In 2015, a task force was created by President Barack Obama to examine the current state of policing in the United States. In response to a number of high profile events across the nation involving the police, the panel provided recommendations on promising policing practices that police could adopt as effective crime fighting strategies that would also strengthen trust and confidence in the police among community residents that they serve. The panel identified a number of reforms or Âœpillars that were viewed as vital to improving current police practices. In response to the recommendations and action items proposed by the task force, NIJ is interested in research in the following topical areas: 1. Research and Evaluation of Strategies to Build and Strengthen Police-Community Relationships 2. Research and Evaluation of Police Training 3. Research and Evaluation on Officer Wellness and Safety 4. Research and Evaluation on Police Technology 5. Research on Crime Scene Investigations: Triaging Evidence

The Campus Program encourages a comprehensive coordinated community approach that enhances victim safety, provides services for victims and supports efforts to hold offenders accountable. The funding supports activities that develop and strengthen trauma informed victim services and strategies to prevent, investigate, respond and prosecute sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. The development of campus-wide coordinated responses involving campus victim service providers, law enforcement/campus safety officers, health providers, housing officials, administrators, student leaders, faith-based leaders, representatives from student organizations, and disciplinary board members is critical. To be effective, campus responses must also link to local off-campus criminal justice agencies and service providers, including local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors' offices, courts, and nonprofit, nongovernmental victim advocacy and victim services organizations. Campuses are encouraged to create or revitalize large-scale efforts that treat sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking as serious offenses by adopting effective policies and protocols, developing victim services and programs that prioritize victim safety, ensuring offender accountability, and implementing effective prevention approaches. Colleges and universities should demonstrate to every student that these crimes will not be tolerated, that perpetrators will face serious consequences, and that holistic services are available for victims.

The purpose of this solicitation is to promote multidisciplinary research in the area of safety, health, and wellness for the criminal justice community in support of the NIJ Safety, Health, and Wellness Strategic Research Plan 2016-2021.2 Categories: 1) Causes and effects of stress and trauma on: (a) law enforcement and corrections officers or (b) individuals in violent communities; 2) Impact of parental jail incarceration on children; and 3) The efficacy of services, strategies, policies, and processes within the criminal or juvenile justice system that serve as responses to children exposed to violence

The Comprehensive School Safety Initiative (CSSI) funds rigorous research to produce practical knowledge that can improve the safety of schools and students. The initiative is carried out through partnerships between researchers, educators and other stakeholders, including law enforcement and mental health professionals. Projects funded under the CSSI are designed to produce knowledge that can be applied to schools and school districts across the nation for years to come. This solicitation includes multiple funding categories with different expectations and requirements to accomplish the purposes of the CSSI.

The National Public Safety Partnership (PSP or "the Partnership"), administered by BJA, is designed to enhance the capacity of state, tribal, and local law enforcement and prosecutors in jurisdictions experiencing a precipitous increase in violent crime to enhance public safety by introducing a new framework of federal/local collaboration. For participating sites, it is a three-year engagement that provides expedited delivery of DOJ resources and coordinated training and technical assistance (TTA) in seven core areas: illegal gun violence, federal partnerships, crime analysis, technology, criminal justice collaboration, investigations, and community engagement.

The Innovative Prosecution Program seeks to encourage exploration of new solutions to public safety concerns, as well as internal operations and organizational structure, while employing research partners at the problem definition stage through assessment of strategies and solutions. Some creative solutions developed by prosecutors around the country include changing how their organizations prioritize cases, identifying the most violent repeat offenders, using data to develop zone/geographic prosecution, using crime analysis tools through strategies like gun stat to track reduce gun violence, developing policies to prosecute witness intimidation cases, working jointly with Parole and Probation on violations of probation, enhancing the prosecutors role in investigations of homicide cases and cyber-crime strategies to improve public safety.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications for the FY 2018 National Initiatives: Preventing Violence Against Law Enforcement Officers and Ensuring Officer Resilience and Survivability (VALOR) Initiative. This national initiative furthers the Department mission by improving the criminal justice system; enhancing law enforcement safety, wellness, resilience, and survivability; and providing support to efforts including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address law enforcement safety and wellness needs.

The NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) Program in Social and Behavioral Sciences is open to doctoral students in all social and behavioral science disciplines. This program provides awards to accredited academic institutions to support graduate research leading to doctoral degrees in areas that are relevant to ensuring public safety, preventing and controlling crime, and ensuring the effective administration of criminal justice in the United States. Of particular interest is research on issues deemed critical by the U.S. Department of Justice: violent crime reduction, enhancing investigations and prosecutions, protecting police officers and other public safety personnel, combating the opioid epidemic, victimization, and addressing illegal immigration.

NHTSA is responsible for reducing vehicle-related fatalities and injuries on our nation's highways through education, research, safety standards and enforcement activity. States are responsible for laws regulating individual conduct and behavior within their jurisdictions. This includes the regulation of impaired driving. The DOT has a long history of development and evaluation of prosecutor training for the prosecution of impaired driving cases. Beginning in 1991, the DOT committed to developing a comprehensive prosecutorial impaired driving program and other highway safety issues to support States and provide prosecutor training. Previous efforts have created five (5) training courses that State prosecutors may use and developed the delivery of the training to States. These training courses include courtroom preparation for law enforcement as law enforcement and prosecutors work closely to reduce drug impaired driving through enforcement and adjudication. NHTSA's support for prosecutor training development has continued and this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides the opportunity to further develop and evaluate training that will increase the knowledge and skills of State and local prosecutors involved in impaired driving cases.

The Reducing Injury and Death of Missing Individuals with Dementia and Developmental Disabilities Program supports local jurisdictions’ efforts to reduce the number of deaths and injuries of individuals with forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease or developmental disabilities such as autism who, due to their condition, wander from safe environments. It provides funding to law enforcement and public safety agencies to implement locative technologies to track missing individuals; and to such agencies and partnering nonprofit organizations to develop or operate programs to prevent wandering, increase individuals’ safety, and facilitate rescues.

The 2020 CPD program will fund projects that develop knowledge, increase awareness of effective community policing strategies, increase the skills and abilities of law enforcement and community partners, increase the number of law enforcement agencies and relevant stakeholders using proven community policing practices and institutionalize community policing practice in routine business. The COPS Office, a federal provider of innovative, customer-focused resources that address the continuing and emerging needs of those engaged in enhancing public safety through community policing, has designed the CPD solicitation to address critical topics in the law enforcement field by building on the principles of community policing. The 2020 CPD program has been established to fund specific projects related to the following topic areas: (1) Law Enforcement Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation Program Toolkit; (2) Recruiting the Next Generation of Officers and Deputies; (3) Promising Practices in Law Enforcement Victim Support; (4) Rural Law Enforcement Training Center; (5) Managing High-Risk Law Enforcement Vehicular Pursuits; (6) Implementing Successful Faith-Based Partnerships; (7) Police Academy Innovations; (8) Public Safety Implications of Driving Automation Systems for Motor Vehicles; (9) Open Category; and (10) Invitational Applications. Detailed descriptions of each of these topics are available in the application guide.

The Supporting Small and Rural Law Enforcement Agency Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program (SRA-BWC) directly supports key priorities of the Department of Justice by promoting the safety of law enforcement officers and citizens by strengthening the means for evidence capture and by contributing to improved justice outcomes. Both formal research publications and testimonials by law enforcement executives have shown that BWCs, when properly implemented, contribute myriad benefits to law enforcement organizations, their personnel, and the communities they serve. BWC use can have a moderating effect on citizens' behavior; has been shown to reduce use-of-force incidents and citizen complaints; and can help strengthen mutual respect and civility in citizen police interactions. Digital footage from BWCs can provide critical visual and audio records of interactions. The benefits of BWCs can be optimized when properly implemented as part of a deliberate program of carefully thought-out policies and practices in coordination with broader agency missions, including officer safety, accountability, increased disparity, training, and efficiency.

The NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program in Social and Behavioral Sciences is open to doctoral students in all social and behavioral science disciplines. This program provides awards to accredited academic institutions to support graduate research leading to doctoral degrees in areas that are relevant to ensuring public safety, preventing and controlling crime, and ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States. NIJ invests in doctoral education by supporting academic institutions that sponsor students who demonstrate the potential to successfully complete doctoral degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of NIJ and who are in the final stages of graduate study. Applicants sponsoring doctoral students are eligible to apply only (1) if the doctoral student'‚ƒƒ™s degree program is a Social and Behavioral Science discipline and (2) if the student's proposed dissertation research has direct implications for criminal justice policy and practice in the United States.

The NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program in Social and Behavioral Sciences is open to doctoral students in all social and behavioral science disciplines. This program provides awards to accredited academic institutions to support graduate research leading to doctoral degrees in areas that are relevant to ensuring public safety, preventing and controlling crime, and ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States. NIJ invests in doctoral education by supporting academic institutions that sponsor students who demonstrate the potential to successfully complete doctoral degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of NIJ and who are in the final stages of graduate study. Applicants sponsoring doctoral students are eligible to apply only (1) if the doctoral student'‚ƒƒ™s degree program is a Social and Behavioral Science discipline and (2) if the student's proposed dissertation research has direct implications for criminal justice policy and practice in the United States.

This project will develop research-to-practice resources to advance the understanding, translation, and application of research and research-based strategies across four primary components of the juvenile justice system: (1) prevention and diversion, (2) community-based alternatives to placement, (3) detention and secure confinement, and (4) reentry. The intent of this project is to assist OJJDP, practitioners, and researchers with the translation and dissemination of research findings to be more understandable, useful, and strategically targeted. This project will collect and analyze current research findings on effective juvenile justice practices and develop innovative and easily accessible, consumable resources and tools for juvenile justice practitioners, administrators, and policymakers. The project will assist OJJDP in identifying and synthesizing relevant research into actionable, evidence-based practice tools to improve public safety and the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system.

This project will develop research-to-practice resources to advance the understanding, translation, and application of research and research-based strategies across four primary components of the juvenile justice system: (1) prevention and diversion, (2) community-based alternatives to placement, (3) detention and secure confinement, and (4) reentry. The intent of this project is to assist OJJDP, practitioners, and researchers with the translation and dissemination of research findings to be more understandable, useful, and strategically targeted. This project will collect and analyze current research findings on effective juvenile justice practices and develop innovative and easily accessible, consumable resources and tools for juvenile justice practitioners, administrators, and policymakers. The project will assist OJJDP in identifying and synthesizing relevant research into actionable, evidence-based practice tools to improve public safety and the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) seeks innovative research proposals to empirically assess pressing issues in institutional corrections. Interested applicants should submit proposals that address any of the three categories below. NIJ anticipates that up to $8 million may become available for awards under this solicitation. 1. Advancing science: Responding to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Report, “The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences.” 2. Understanding the use of restrictive housing. a. An examination of the use of restrictive housing in state and/or federal prisons. b. Assessing the use of restrictive housing in jails. c. Understanding the impact of restrictive housing on the mental health of inmates and staff in prison and how working in restrictive housing varies from working in the general population. d. A review of step down programs available in restrictive housing environments in U.S. prisons and jails. 3. An examination of correctional officer safety and wellness: The impact of fatal and non-fatal work-related injuries on the corrections institution.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) seeks innovative research proposals to empirically assess pressing issues in institutional corrections. Interested applicants should submit proposals that address any of the three categories below. NIJ anticipates that up to $8 million may become available for awards under this solicitation. 1. Advancing science: Responding to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Report, “The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences.” 2. Understanding the use of restrictive housing. a. An examination of the use of restrictive housing in state and/or federal prisons. b. Assessing the use of restrictive housing in jails. c. Understanding the impact of restrictive housing on the mental health of inmates and staff in prison and how working in restrictive housing varies from working in the general population. d. A review of step down programs available in restrictive housing environments in U.S. prisons and jails. 3. An examination of correctional officer safety and wellness: The impact of fatal and non-fatal work-related injuries on the corrections institution.

BJA, in a public/private partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts, launched the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) in 2010 as a multistaged process in which a jurisdiction reduces unnecessary incarceration, increases the cost-effectiveness of its criminal justice system and reinvests savings into high-performing public safety strategies.  JRI jurisdictions reinvest these cost savings into high-performing initiatives that make communities safer. In addition to reducing prison populations, justice reinvestment encourages states to embrace a culture of greater collaboration, data-driven decisionmaking, and increased use of evidence-based practices. While the full impact of justice reinvestment reforms is not yet known, the policies enacted in JRI states hold great promise to reduce prison populations, achieve substantial cost savings, and avert future growth.  However, many of the states found similar factors driving populations and costs for example, parole and probation revocation rates; sentencing policies and practices that favored incarceration of low-risk offenders over alternatives and that resulted in long lengths of stay; insufficient or inefficient community supervision, services, and support; and parole system processing delays and denials. The policy responses to these issues also overlapped, sharing themes of evidence-based practices and data-driven decisionmaking, including risk and needs assessments; accountability measures such as performance and outcome measure reporting; earned credits to encourage compliance with conditions of community supervision; sentencing changes; swift, certain and fair responses to technical probation and parole violations, mandatory post-incarceration supervision requirements; problem-solving courts; streamlined parole processes and expanded parole eligibility; and re-entry programs to reduce recidivism.

BJA, in a public/private partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts, launched the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) in 2010 as a multistaged process in which a jurisdiction reduces unnecessary incarceration, increases the cost-effectiveness of its criminal justice system and reinvests savings into high-performing public safety strategies.  JRI jurisdictions reinvest these cost savings into high-performing initiatives that make communities safer. In addition to reducing prison populations, justice reinvestment encourages states to embrace a culture of greater collaboration, data-driven decisionmaking, and increased use of evidence-based practices. While the full impact of justice reinvestment reforms is not yet known, the policies enacted in JRI states hold great promise to reduce prison populations, achieve substantial cost savings, and avert future growth.  However, many of the states found similar factors driving populations and costs for example, parole and probation revocation rates; sentencing policies and practices that favored incarceration of low-risk offenders over alternatives and that resulted in long lengths of stay; insufficient or inefficient community supervision, services, and support; and parole system processing delays and denials. The policy responses to these issues also overlapped, sharing themes of evidence-based practices and data-driven decisionmaking, including risk and needs assessments; accountability measures such as performance and outcome measure reporting; earned credits to encourage compliance with conditions of community supervision; sentencing changes; swift, certain and fair responses to technical probation and parole violations, mandatory post-incarceration supervision requirements; problem-solving courts; streamlined parole processes and expanded parole eligibility; and re-entry programs to reduce recidivism.